Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

7

"Ashley, he needs this. He's been skipping events for weeks now."

"Don't make him angry, Nina," Ashley sighed, "I swear to God you don't want to see him angry."

Homelander usually made his own schedule, which was understandable, being who he was. But he had been making excuses for a while. Worse than that - he had Nina making excuses for him. She would run out of excuses soon. Ashley got a bit worried, not because of Nina's safety, but because if he went rogue again and killed her, he would be back at tormenting Ashley like he always did. Homelander bothering Nina more than anyone else on Vought felt like a well-deserved vacation. Ashley didn't have to see him for a long time, unless they had a meeting. He was the most powerful Supe, a narcissistic, vindictive, soulless human being that could wipe an entire nation if he so desired, and Ashley didn't really like to be on his line of fire. She did throw an apparently naive Brazilian woman with curly hair and big puppy eyes at him like bait, and for the love of God it worked. But she started to ask too many questions. Ashley thought about a brainless replacement, one that would ask less questions and do more things, but it would take time. Meanwhile, she had to endure Nina's pointless conversations.

"I'm just trying to do my job..."

"Yeah," Ashley nodded nervously, "and your job doesn't include telling your boss what to do."

Nina sighed. The pay was ridiculously good, but the pressure... She hated the PR part of the job. Vought had their own PR department, but Homelander only trusted Nina to do it for him. She had a major in English, which made it easier for her to put out written statements for him. He never complained about them, and he left her to her own devices most of the time, unless there was something specific he wanted to say. Since he had been mostly bailing out on TV appearances, Nina thought it was a good idea if he made a public appearance. It would boost his ratings and help promote the new movie. He didn't know about most of the events Nina turned down, mostly because he told her to just turn them down. But a visit to a school would probably be a nice move. The kids loved the powers and loved him, even if the adults were a bit disillusioned. It could perhaps restore his image to its former glory. She needed to at least try and ask.

She went to ninety-nine to talk to him. The doors of the conference room were closed. He was in a meeting. She sighed and turned to go and taste more of the bland coffee from the cafeteria, but his voice stopped her on her tracks.

"Nina."

She widened her eyes.

"I can see you. Come in."

Of course. The x-ray vision. How can one forget about the fucking x-ray vision? She sighed and came in shyly. Stan Edgar was in the room, joined by the remaining Seven. Black Noir was also there... always silent and watching. The stares were nerve wrecking, mostly because it felt like she was interrupting something very important and they were not happy. Nina didn't know anything about the situation they were talking about, she wasn't invited, and perhaps it was for a good reason. It seemed like everybody is tense and that's why she felt so unwelcome. She nodded to them and Annie was the only one who nodded back. She was unsure about going to Homelander, but he motioned for her to get closer. She did a pathetic little jog and stood close to his left side. He seemed to be the only one who wasn't bothered by her being there. His big blue eyes showed a mix of curiosity and surprise.

"I'm sorry, boss," she whispered.

"It's okay," he whispered back. "What is it?"

"It's not that important... I can come back later."

He shook his head, "no, stay. Go on."

It was an awkward situation, so Nina tried to be brief. "One school contacted us and I thought it would be nice if you talked to the kids... maybe even going on a school trip to Voughtland."

He sighed and side eyed her. Now he looked annoyed.

"Talk to them about what?"

"You know... how is it like to be a superhero," she continued, still whispering, "being a role model."

Ashley said it would probably happen, the man didn't like to be told what to do, neither liked to hear anyone's opinions on how to manage his image. He grunted in disapproval.

Nina tried to appeal to him more directly.

"Kids love you, boss. If you can win the kids' hearts, you can win the parents' hearts too."

His expression softened a bit, he raised his eyebrows and nodded, "just tell me where and when."

"Okay," she smiled briefly.

-

It went smoother than she expected. She told Ashley the good news and for a bit, Ashley seemed impressed. She was sure Nina would be killed, her brain matter and blood flying all over the table and over Star Edgar's fancy suit. But it didn't happen. She knew it wasn't Nina's fault, but Ashley thought about all of the times she was called stupid, an idiot, a moron. It was a bit unfair. Nina had something else going on. Maybe she was sucking on his dick. Maybe that's why he needed an assistant - to bang someone who worships the ground under his feet. It seemed to be working out for her. The thought of being with Homelander made Ashley nauseous. Such a disgusting thought. She didn't know if Nina knew what happened in his room almost every night - a bunch of Supe women trying to win his approval, fame or whatever the hell came with fucking the most powerful Supe in the world. Ashley thought it was pathetic because she knew what these women gained from these sexual encounters.

Absolutely nothing.

Nina couldn't hide her smile for long. She went on and called the school to talk about his visit, what he would - and wouldn't - talk about, and how long he would be there. The best part was that she would be with him all day again. From there, they would visit Voughtland, a place she always wanted to see. Maybe she would buy a Homelander plushie, since she could never afford one while working at Walmart and she thought asking for the man himself would be too ridiculous. Perhaps Ashley was wrong, and he just needed a little push sometimes. Their interaction on the conference room wasn't the most warm, but it was definitely different from what Ashley thought it would be. It was a shame people were afraid of him. He did seem mostly annoyed for long periods of time, but it couldn't be all that bad. Who wouldn't be moody with a career like his?